Whenever our mind is opened to something new, we are always curious about it. It is nature of
human mind to absorb knowledge and explore new things. But before exploring new things, a question always comes in our mind that what it is related to? What is the meaning of that particular subject? How it developed? When the word
psychology comes in our mind, we would like to know what it means. How it developed in history? What is it scope now in today’s world? What is it importance? What development has been done in it? What are its branches?
Psychology is combination of two Greek words, psyche meaning spirit, soul and logos meaning study. Thus, psychology is the
study of human mind and behavior. Psychology has theoretical as well as practical significance. When studying the theories on psychology one understands how the human mind works and how human behaves. When implementing the knowledge of psychology, human problems related to family, education, work and mental ailments can be treated.
Psychology plays an important role in the study of society. It helps in understanding of human
behavior in society. It tells us how a person contributes in the culture, economics and politics of any society.
Biology is the study of life whereas psychology is the study of human mind and behavior. Hence, we cannot say that biology and psychology are same as subjects. Although, it did developed from biology but it also developed from philosophy.
Psychology came as a separate subject in late nineteenth century. Psychology did exist in the era of the Greeks but it wasn’t studies as a separate subject. Psychology was introduced by Wilhelm Wundt in 1879. He founded a laboratory to study psychology at Leipzig University in Germany.
Different
schools of thoughts have been formed to study the human mind and behavior. These schools of thoughts are the psychological schools that are the exceptionally outstanding classical proposed explanation of psychology. Each of these schools of thoughts was important in their time. Following are the school of thoughts of psychology that were developed.
1. Activity-oriented approach
2. Analytical psychology
3. Associationism
4. Behaviorism
5. Behavioural genetics
6. Biological psychology
7. Cognitivism
8. Cultural-historical psychology
9. Depth psychology
10. Ecopsychology
11. Ego psychology
12. Environmental psychology
13. Evolutionary psychology
14. Existential psychology
15. Experimental analysis of behavior
16. Functionalism
17. Gestalt psychology
18. Gestalt therapy
19. Humanistic psychology
20. Individual psychology
21. Organismic Psychology
22. Phenomenological psychology
23. Phrenology
24. Psychoanalysis
25. Radical behaviorism -
26. Social psychology
27. Structuralism
28. Transactional analysis
29. Transpersonal psychology ‘
As stated earlier, psychology has both academic and applied side. According to both of these two domains, psychology has been divided in to many subfields
Research psychology is the theoretical domain.It comprises of study of human mind and behaviour. The major subfield in this
domain are as follows
1.Abnormal psychology
2.Biological psychology
3.Cognitive psychology,
4.Comparative psychology,
5.Developmental psychology,
6.Personality psychology,
7.Social psychology
Applied psychology comprises of using the knowledge to solve practical problems of individuals. The major sub-fields in this domain are as follows
1.Clinical psychology,
2.Industrial and organizational psychology,
3.Human factors,
4.Psychology and law,
5.Health psychology,
6.School psychology,
7.Community psychology
More summaries about the Introduction to Psychology